Goalie Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators makes a save on a breakaway shot by Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Colorado Avalanche during the second period in Game One of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena on April 12, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
If nothing else, the Colorado Avalanche showed it belonged in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Avs jumped up on the Nashville Predators by scores of 1-0 and 2-1 but Filip Forsberg scored two third period goals to give the Preds a 5-2 in game on of their first round series against the Avs.
Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov opened the scoring with a goal at 6:36 of the first period. After the Predators tied the game, Blake Comeau tipped in a shot by Carl Soderberg to put the Avs back up 2-1 at 4:51 of the second.
Forsberg broke a 2-2 tie at 6:08 of the third. Then he added a spectacular goal, weaving through traffic, to make it 4-2 at 12:10 of the third.
The Predators take a 1-0 series lead with game two in Nashville on Saturday at 1 p.m. MDT.
Avalanche color analyst Peter McNab of Altitude spoke with Colorado's Morning News with a recap of game one.